South American countries are preparing to launch an official bid for the 2030 World Cup

Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile are among the countries working to make it a reality.

Four South American countries will launch an unprecedented joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup on Tuesday, hoping to return the global showpiece to its original location.

The intention of Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile to bid has been in the works for some time.

They committed to forming a local organizing committee to work with South American football’s governing body CONMEBOL to plan their bid more than three years ago.

But it took until now to make the “Juntos 2030” (Together 2030) bid official.

The goal is to “bring the World Cup back to its original home: South America,” according to CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez.

The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930, and it was won by the hosts, who defeated Argentina 4-2 in the final.

The joint South American bid hopes to hold the 2030 final in the Centenario stadium, which hosted the first title match 100 years ago.

“For us, the 2030 Centenary World Cup,” Uruguay’s sports minister Sebastian Bauza said.

“What we must concentrate on is the Centenary World Cup. The 100th anniversary of the first World Cup will be celebrated. Back to the legend, back to its beginnings!”

If it is successful, the two tournaments could not be more dissimilar.

There were only 13 teams in 1930, and the entire tournament was held in the same city, Montevideo, in just three stadiums.

In 2030, the four countries will have 48 teams and approximately 15 stadiums.

If the bid is successful, it will be the first time that the World Cup is hosted by four countries.

Three countries have already been awarded the 2026 tournament: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Despite the fact that Latin America has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, Chile’s sports minister Alexandra Benado insisted in an interview published on Monday that all four countries are still in the running to host the tournament.

“Our proposal will be austere and sustainable, and it will meet FIFA’s requirements,” Benado told the newspaper El Mercurio.

The joint South American bid will almost certainly face competition from at least two other bids.

Spain and Portugal have officially submitted a joint bid, while Morocco has insisted on becoming only the second African country to host the finals.

The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland decided in February to abandon a joint bid in which five FIFA member federations would have hosted the tournament.